Unitary Foundation received a National Science Foundation Phase I award to build an open-source software ecosystem around its Unitary Compiler Collection. The funding will support collaboration with the quantum computing community to address growing demands on classical software as the field advances toward fault tolerance. “Open source has been foundational to quantum computing’s progress,” notes Unitary Foundation, highlighting the importance of shared tools for research and reproducibility. Through the project, Unitary Foundation will identify workflow bottlenecks and guide the technical roadmap for UCC, aiming to create sustainable, trusted infrastructure for the future of quantum computing.
Unitary Compiler Collection Advances Open Quantum Software Ecosystem
Unitary Foundation received National Science Foundation Phase I funding to investigate workflow bottlenecks hindering quantum software development, specifically focusing on the transition to fault-tolerant computing. The project centers on the Unitary Compiler Collection (UCC) and aims to establish a sustainable, open-source ecosystem around it, addressing growing demands on classical software as quantum systems scale. This initiative follows Unitary Foundation’s experience building an ecosystem for Mitiq, which received prior support, demonstrating the value of investing in both software and its sustaining community, the company says.
The need for such an ecosystem stems from the increasing complexity of simulating and validating error-correction protocols essential for fault tolerance. Researchers require tools to estimate resources and translate logical programs for specific hardware. Unitary Foundation’s annual Quantum Open Source Software Survey, which received more than 1,400 responses worldwide in 2025, documents a diverse range of programming platforms, compilers, simulators and scientific libraries.
The foundation intends to use this data to identify areas where open standards and shared components can accelerate progress, acknowledging that parallel experimentation with both open and proprietary tools is currently underway. Unitary Foundation’s work on Clifft exemplifies this approach, applying compiler-like techniques to address simulation bottlenecks and providing insights applicable to broader compilation infrastructure, according to the company. Jeff, an open interchange format for structured quantum programs, further illustrates this strategy. Hosted by Unitary Foundation and collaboratively developed, Jeff facilitates program exchange between compiler frameworks without mandating a universal intermediate representation.
It illustrates how Unitary Foundation can provide an independent home for infrastructure that crosses organizational boundaries. Through the Phase I award, Unitary Foundation will conduct interviews with researchers, maintainers and hardware/software teams to pinpoint recurring workflow issues. The team will specifically investigate instances where switching tools necessitates code rewriting and identify converging solutions currently implemented in parallel.
These conversations will directly inform the technical roadmap for UCC and shape plans for community participation, governance and long-term maintenance. Unitary Foundation is actively soliciting real-world workflow stories from those working on quantum software for the fault-tolerant era, seeking details on challenges encountered and workarounds employed, the firm reports.
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